1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to fishing tackle, and articularly to a fishing lure formed of a soft and flexible plastic material having a series of laterally narrowed portions, notches, or grooves along its length for added flexibility and movement.
2. Description of the Related Art
Bait and lures have been used for centuries to attract game animals and fish. As the sport of fishing has become more sophisticated, an ever-increasing variety of lures has been developed for use in the sport and for commercial use as well.
The development of relatively new materials has also been of benefit in the manufacture of lures, particularly fishing lures. It is well known that fish are generally attracted to a number of smaller animals, e.g., worms and insects, and frogs, lizards, eels and small snakes, etc. for somewhat larger game fish. Many of these animal varieties exhibit great flexibility, e.g., worms, eels, and snakes, and predator fish are thought to be instinctively predisposed to be attracted to objects exhibiting such movement.
Accordingly, many lure manufacturers have attempted to roduce lures mimicking such bodily movements. These efforts have generally met with limited success, primarily due to the relatively hard materials available in the past. More recently, softer plastic materials (e.g., lastisol, a soft silicone rubber resin material) have been developed for various purposes, and some of these have been adapted for use in the manufacture of fishing lures. Such softer materials provide the greater flexibility desired to mimic the movements of live prey animals, but efforts in this direction have not been entirely successful.
Another problem with fishing lures developed in the past has been the placement and/or orientation of the hook. Generally, the hook(s) is/are placed somewhat rearwardly on the body of the lure, with it being assumed that the fish will strike the lure from behind. As the leader must extend from the forward end of the lure, this either leaves a relatively weakened area between the end of the leader and the hook in lures formed of softer materials, or requires the leader or a separate wire or the like to be run through the body of the lure, which changes the flexibility of the lure.
An example of a lure from the related art is found in French Patent No. 2,672,773, published on Aug. 21, 1992. According to the drawings and English abstract, this reference describes a fishing lure with an elongated and angled shank. The hook extends from its eye at the nose of the lure, passing through the body to exit near the tail of the lure. The abstract indicates that only the tail of the lure, i.e., that portion of the lure rearward of the hook, is free to move due to hydrodynamic force as the lure is pulled through the water.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Thus, a fishing lure solving the aforementioned problems is desired.